World War 2 Propaganda
The Art of
Persuasion
By: Aidan Trudel
Due: November 26th, 2014
Word Count: 1555
1
Aidan Trudel Propaganda, a tactic used by many governments, has been used for centuries and in
all sorts of ways. During the second world war, propaganda played a huge role in several countries, primarily Nazi Germany. The German government relied heavily on propaganda in order to win the war. The German government used this in order to help with the morals of fighting German troops, to gain the support of their population, and to dehumanize the enemy making it easier for the soldiers to carry out their duties. Propaganda in Nazi Germany was taken to a whole new level. It was taken very seriously because Hitler understood the value of good propaganda so he appointed Joseph Goebbels as minister of propaganda and national enlightenment. As minister of enlightenment, Goebbels was in charge of 2 things: Ensure that nobody in Germany could read or see anything that was negative or damaging to the Nazi
Party and to ensure that the views of the Nazis were put across in the most persuasive manner possible.1
Nazi propaganda was made to support the "spirit" of the German soldier. It advertised the upcoming military looting. It corrupted the soul of a German soldier with promises of easy profit. The ministry would use all sorts of media such as posters, films, and radio broadcasts to expose the soldiers to many halftruths made by the government. Things like telling them that the war was going much better for them than it actually was would reassure, in a way, the soldiers and make them feel like what they were fighting for had meaning. It made them feel like they weren’t risking their lives for nothing. In reality of course, the Germans were losing heavily although with strictly watched media in Germany, neither the army nor the population
1
"Propaganda in Nazi Germany". HistoryLearningSite.co.uk. 2014. Web.
2
Aidan Trudel
would ever
Persuasion
By: Aidan Trudel
Due: November 26th, 2014
Word Count: 1555
1
Aidan Trudel Propaganda, a tactic used by many governments, has been used for centuries and in
all sorts of ways. During the second world war, propaganda played a huge role in several countries, primarily Nazi Germany. The German government relied heavily on propaganda in order to win the war. The German government used this in order to help with the morals of fighting German troops, to gain the support of their population, and to dehumanize the enemy making it easier for the soldiers to carry out their duties. Propaganda in Nazi Germany was taken to a whole new level. It was taken very seriously because Hitler understood the value of good propaganda so he appointed Joseph Goebbels as minister of propaganda and national enlightenment. As minister of enlightenment, Goebbels was in charge of 2 things: Ensure that nobody in Germany could read or see anything that was negative or damaging to the Nazi
Party and to ensure that the views of the Nazis were put across in the most persuasive manner possible.1
Nazi propaganda was made to support the "spirit" of the German soldier. It advertised the upcoming military looting. It corrupted the soul of a German soldier with promises of easy profit. The ministry would use all sorts of media such as posters, films, and radio broadcasts to expose the soldiers to many halftruths made by the government. Things like telling them that the war was going much better for them than it actually was would reassure, in a way, the soldiers and make them feel like what they were fighting for had meaning. It made them feel like they weren’t risking their lives for nothing. In reality of course, the Germans were losing heavily although with strictly watched media in Germany, neither the army nor the population
1
"Propaganda in Nazi Germany". HistoryLearningSite.co.uk. 2014. Web.
2
Aidan Trudel
would ever
Bibliography: ● "Propaganda in Nazi Germany". HistoryLearningSite.co.uk. 2014. Web. ● Barsam, Richard M (1975). Filmguide to Triumph of the Will. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. p. 21 ● Adam, Peter (1992). Art of the Third Reich. Harry N Abrams Inc. p. 177. New York: Motor International, 1976. Print. 50th Anniversary Edition ed. Simon & Schuster, 1990. Print.